Is it ok to get a puppy with a 4 month old??

DH wants to get a family, child friendly puppy... our DS is just about 4 months old... is it safe??

Message edited 9/7/2009 9:44:29 AM.

Re: Is it ok to get a puppy with a 4 month old??

absolutely. My first dog died when Jack was 4 months old and we got another right away.

Re: Is it ok to get a puppy with a 4 month old??

It's safe if they're kept separate. Personally I wouldn't want to aggravation of training AND an infant.

Re: Is it ok to get a puppy with a 4 month old??

It's safe most likely...but...

I have to say, with 2 dogs that we got as 10 week old puppies years ago (before DD), I really don't think it's a good idea.

Puppies are a LOT LOT LOT of work. They need similar care to an infant in many regards, and as someone who has a 9 mth old, there is no way I could handle a puppy and a 9 mth old.

Also, do you really want urine and poop on the floors that your soon to be crawling child will be on? Puppies sometimes take months and months to train (my girl dog had bladder issues and wasn't fully trained for 1 year, even though I was not working and taking her out 12 times a day, no joke).

So just being honest, I think it's a bad idea, esp if you never had a puppy. If you have had one (as in Diana's case) and you KNOW what you are in for, maybe a different story....but even still, every puppy is different.

JMO being honest

ETA - Also, puppies nip and teethe for a long time, just like babies, and they do sometimes hurt. My dogs always bite our arms, hands, etc, and it's pretty impossible to stop this when they are teething.

Message edited 9/7/2009 10:53:20 AM.

Re: Is it ok to get a puppy with a 4 month old??

Having a puppy is like having another baby!! Its a lot of work to train a puppy propery and they often are mouthing and VERY playful.
Id personally wait unil about a 18 months when your baby can walk and play with the puppy and you dont have to be so worried about the pup accidently hurting the baby b/c he is so playful.

BUT... Having a do is the BEST!!

Re: Is it ok to get a puppy with a 4 month old??

I think it would be safe(depending on the breed), but it is a lot of work having a puppy. Also, puppies nip and bite when they play which can scare babies.

We puppy sat last month for a week. It was so stressful. I think having a puppy is worse than a baby-because babies wear diapers! No matter how much we took this dog out and watched him he pooped and peed all over my floors- I am a dog person but puppy-sitting made me realize we will not be getting another dog for a long long time! (we have an 8 year old dog)

Message edited 9/7/2009 11:24:21 AM.

Re: Is it ok to get a puppy with a 4 month old??

safe.. yes.. wise.. probably not We recently got a puppy and my kids are 8, 4 and 2.... I had NOOO idea how much work the puppy was going to be.. I love her to death and I wouldn't change anything.. but would I get a puppy again.. hells no!

Re: Is it ok to get a puppy with a 4 month old??

Re: Is it ok to get a puppy with a 4 month old??

Re: Is it ok to get a puppy with a 4 month old??

I would never..training our Puppy was SO hard, sleepless nights while she whined etc....

I would wait till the baby was older cause for me it would be too much at once.

Re: Is it ok to get a puppy with a 4 month old??

I bought DH our second pug as a pup not knowing I was pregnant with DS (now 8 months). If I knew I was preggers, I never would have gotten another dog. She has really gotten the short end of the stick now in terms of attention, and I feel like she still is not trained as well as my older pug. I don't trust her in my house for long periods of time at all, let alone to leave her alone. Personally, I would really hold off. I feel like I don't even get to give my older pug a lot of attention anymore and he used to really be my "baby". If I knew then what I know now, and still wanted to get a dog-----I would go with an older one that's already housebroken. Several friends of mine have actually done this lately who DON'T have kids through pug rescue groups.

Re: Is it ok to get a puppy with a 4 month old??

Safe?, absolutely. Think of all the families that already had dogs when the babies came around.

But, if you have the baby, and then plan on getting a puppy, be prepared for basically having a whole nother baby at the same time. Puppies need ALOT of time, attention and training. I don't know that I'd want to do that while having a newborn around the house. Puppies are sooo worth it, but again, they're just a ton of work and a huge commitment. If possible I'd get the puppy first and have them trained before the baby comes home, and probably even wait until the puppy, isn't a "puppy" anymore, like wait till they're more adult, since they won't need as much attention and playtime...or wait until the baby is older and then get the dog.

Re: Is it ok to get a puppy with a 4 month old??

Safe yes, but I wouldn't want the extra responsibly. It is like having a newborn again. (Well maybe not that hard, but close to it)
We got a puppy a year before we had a baby and it was a lot of work. She cried all night long, and had to be brought outside every 2 hours to house break her. We crate trained her which has been wonderful, especially with DS around. Also, you have to constantly watch the dog, because you are so scared they will have an accident in the house. Also, the constant chewing on everything. So so much work!!!
My Dog is wonderful now, but she didn't start becoming easy to have until at least a year old.

Message edited 9/7/2009 5:06:09 PM.

Re: Is it ok to get a puppy with a 4 month old??